Conventionally, many devices allow information setups corresponding to user's requests and favor. For example, in a digital camera, many functions such as an aperture, shutter speed, white balance, exposure time, the way flash light is emitted, self-timer time duration, presence/absence of date insertion, and the like can be set in correspondence with user's favor.
Also, a system that can record several patterns of setup data in a device is available. When the user selects one of several patterns of setup data via some user interface, information is set in the device on the basis of the selected setup data.
However, in the prior art, when many users use a single digital camera, and want to set it according to their favors, each user must manually re-input setup data. Furthermore, once a given user sets the digital camera according to his or her favor, if another user sets up the digital camera again, that user must also manually set up the camera again.
That is, currently available devices can be set according to user's favor. However, when another user sets up a given device again, a given user must set up that device again according to his or her favor. Such case frequently occurs when a plurality of users use a common device.
The aforementioned system that can record several patterns of setup data forces the user to select one pattern. Furthermore, since the system can only record several patterns of setup data, it cannot cope with a case wherein many unspecific users want to use that device with optimal setups.